Resource potential of municipal solid waste in Odesa Region

Abstract

Despite the widespread use of the term "municipal solid waste" (MSW), the main regulatory and legislative documents of Ukraine use the term "household waste". International practice also does not have a clear definition of the "municipal solid waste" concept, however, there are a number of related terms. Municipal solid waste is defined as a waste that is generated in the course of human activity, accumulated in residential buildings and social institutions and considered as unsuitable for further use at places of its generation. As for the related terms used in foreign and national practice, the term “household waste”, i.e. waste generated directly by households, is more appropriate. Municipal solid waste is a heterogeneous mixture that has a complex waste composition and its quantitative and qualitative characteristics are not constant and depend on characteristics of a certain country, region, city or town where it was generated, season and other factors. Growing volumes of municipal solid waste is one of the components of growing anthropogenic load that poses a threat to environmental safety of the country's regions and public health and negatively affects the state of our environment. The main methods of such solid waste management in Ukraine include landfilling, incineration, recycling and recovery. Out of the total annual waste volume generated on the post-Soviet territories, 93% are taken to landfills or dumpsites, 4% – incinerated, and only about 3% – recycled.

Therefore, creation and implementation of an effective system of solid waste management is an important task for ensuring environmental safety and sustainable development of the country's regions. Moreover, solid waste is a significant reserve for obtaining secondary material resources. According to the circular economy concept, almost all components of solid waste should be reused for production of new items. This will minimize negative impact on the environment and allow rational use of natural resources. The article analyses the current state of municipal solid waste management system in Odesa Region and assesses resource value of such waste. Secondary raw materials worth of almost UAH 1.4 million can be produced annually from the total flow of municipal solid waste in Odesa Region. And this figure does not take into account liquidity of food and other waste. After establishing an effective food and other organic waste management system, such amount may be significantly increased. Separation of resource-value components from the total solid waste flow and their subsequent use will help to reduce technogenic load on the environmental natural components and improve the overall environmental situation in Odesa Region.